{"id":3072,"date":"2012-10-23T02:14:00","date_gmt":"2012-10-23T08:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=3072"},"modified":"2012-10-25T03:25:42","modified_gmt":"2012-10-25T09:25:42","slug":"could-russias-crackdown-against-ngos-imperil-jewish-groups-working-there","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/could-russias-crackdown-against-ngos-imperil-jewish-groups-working-there\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Russia&#8217;s crackdown against NGOs imperil Jewish groups working there?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By NEIL RUBIN<\/p>\n<p>WASHINGTON (JTA) \u2013 Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, it didn\u2019t take long for international Jewish groups to rush into Russia and begin rebuilding institutions of Jewish life that had been destroyed under generations of communist repression. In the two decades since, Russian Jewry has undergone a remarkable revival, and Diaspora Jewish institutions from the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee to the Jewish Agency for Israel to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement have been there every step of the way.<\/p>\n<p>But with the environment in President Vladimir Putin\u2019s Russia growing increasingly hostile toward foreign nongovernmental organizations, could the operations of international Jewish groups be in jeopardy?<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3145\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/learning-hebrew.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3145\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3145 lazyload\" title=\"learning hebrew\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/learning-hebrew-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/learning-hebrew-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/learning-hebrew-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/200;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3145\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3145 \" title=\"learning hebrew\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/learning-hebrew-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/learning-hebrew-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/learning-hebrew-1024x682.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-3145\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">More than 25,000 Jews in the former Soviet Union are participating in aliyah preparation each year with The Jewish Agency, including career guidance and immersive Hebrew instruction. (Courtesy The Jewish Agency)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re in a very reactionary phase,\u201d said James Brooke, the Moscow correspondent for the Voice of America. \u201cThe current leadership doesn\u2019t favor civil society and prefers vertical power, which is an authoritarian, dictatorial concept from the top of salute and shut up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>On Oct. 1, in a sign of rising tensions between Washington and Moscow, Russia announced that it was ending all U.S. Agency for International Development operations in the country, ending a program that has invested more than $2.7 billion in Russia since 1991 to promote \u201ca more open and innovative society and a strengthened partnership between Russia and the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Then there\u2019s the crackdown on dissent that has seen everything from the jailing of opposition leaders to the prison terms handed down to three women from the punk band Pussy Riot for their \u201cblasphemous\u201d performance in a church. The rockers, one of whom has been released from prison, were convicted of \u201chooliganism.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fortunately for the Jews of Russia, Judaism is one of four recognized religions in the country. The Russian parliament is now considering a blasphemy law that would criminalize acts of \u201csacrilege\u201d against any of the recognized religions.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, a new law requires groups that acquire funds from overseas to declare themselves \u201cforeign agents\u201d &#8212; a category that on its face would seem to include international Jewish aid groups.<\/p>\n<p>Publicly, Jewish organizations say they are not concerned and emphasize that their work\u00a0 is humanitarian, not political.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s nothing here that Jewish organizations that operate in the former Soviet Union from the United States or Israel that support activities in the FSU have to be concerned about,\u201d said Misha Galperin, president and CEO of Jewish Agency International Development. \u201cWe provide assistance for humanitarian, education and community building programs that have nothing at all to do with any political processes and situations in Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_3147\" style=\"width: 210px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps.jpg\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3147\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3147 lazyload\" title=\"summer camps\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps.jpg 1500w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 200px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 200\/300;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3147\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-3147 \" title=\"summer camps\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps-682x1024.jpg 682w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/10\/summer-camps.jpg 1500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-3147\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">More then 6,000 young Russian-speaking Jews are participating in The Jewish Agency&#39;s summer camp programs in the former Soviet Union. (Courtesy The Jewish Agency)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Privately, however, Jewish organizations are toeing very carefully to make sure they do not run afoul of a regime that in recent months has severely restricted the operation of foreign NGOs in Russia.<\/p>\n<p>The key, says Ben Cohen, a former director of European affairs for the Anti-Defamation League, is to steer clear of any criticism of the regime.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe organized Jewish community has traditionally been very careful not to alienate the Russian government,\u201d he said. \u201cFirstly it would hinder their operations there, and secondly, I think they\u2019re aware that there is a very strong undercurrent of anti-Semitism in Russia and they\u2019re very nervous about provoking that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As things stand now, Putin has good ties with the Jewish community. He has developed personal relationships with some Jewish leaders &#8212; notably Rabbi Berel Lazar, one of Russia\u2019s two chief rabbis &#8212; and Jewish schools, synagogues and community centers have flourished in Russia since Putin came to power in 2000.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Putin is a despicable man, but he\u2019s very shrewd,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cHe understands that getting into a needless confrontation with Jewish organizations isn\u2019t going to serve his interests.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>ORT, the educational agency, cited its close work with the government in running schools and educational programs in Russia. Moscow ORT Technology College, which opened in 1996, has 4,000 students, and the ORT de Gunzburg Jewish School No. 550 in St. Petersburg has received the President\u2019s Prize &#8212; Russia\u2019s highest award for innovation and excellence in education.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re in these countries&#8221; in the former Soviet Union &#8220;because we\u2019ve been invited by the government and the ministries of education, which we partner with,\u201d said Alan Klugman, executive director of ORT America.<\/p>\n<p>Likewise, Jewish groups including the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society and the JDC told JTA that they have not experienced problems with the government and do not expect U.S.-Russia tensions to affect their operations.<\/p>\n<p>The unspoken tradeoff, Cohen said, is that Jewish organizations cannot criticize the regime for anything. U.S.-Russian tensions will not impact Jewish groups, Cohen said, \u201cunless they challenge the government.\u201d<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Could%20Russia%27s%20crackdown%20against%20NGOs%20imperil%20Jewish%20groups%20working%20there%3F\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[906,8790,8795,8788,458,905],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3072"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3072"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3146,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3072\/revisions\/3146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}